Chelsea And The Legacy.

A very hard game today, but win, lose or draw, this is our club, team and manager. All we have to do is support them. It really is that simple.

Now here are some words from Zim Paul on The Boss ”

Interesting match coming up. Should Arsenal be nervous with so many out for “the big one’? No, not at all. We’re on a decent run importantly against top opposition, the momentum so far good, Flamini/Arteta axis looks sorted and quietly effective, Ox and Tomas are in tremendous attacking form, Lukas and Gnabs in contention too, the defense is as solid as can be, the keeper too, and Santi is a match winner. Chelsea are just slightly weakened with Ramirez out, the key player for them in an Arsenal type match and a thorn in our side; the other Brazil fella not so much, useful, but we could contain him anyway. Eto’o, now there’s one we need to keep an eye on. He can’t sustain it anymore, but still has that eye for goal from any angle, and will shoot.

Many decent and mostly fair comments on the millennium, the best of which simply says only two managers of this generation have actually left a legacy, Rednose and Arsene, which I think is a fair decent summary from a neutral’s perspective. The full story of Arsene Arsenal is far from told, but tellingly Wenger intimates the gong drought years are his most important accomplishment, including the Invincibles. Well, that’s been our narrative for some time, only Wenger told it better, simpler. As the money got siphoned to the stadium over 7 years (and Arsene is too polite to say it but we can, in the same period Chelsea and later City, and in their lesser way Yoo and even Pool, would contort the entire fabric of EPL football with tycoon wealth and juggernaut buying), the single critical factor was to stay in CL, year after year, for financial reasons. Failure to do so would have placed the everything in jeopardy, threatening the club.

One day people will ask the sensible question, it’ll take time but it will be asked because its the only question. How the hell did you manage to do it Wenger, it has never and had never been done in this context? In fact, there is no parallel whatsoever, it is a singular story. Wenger had so much against him, the pressure must have been immense, especially every last 3 or so months of every season (which Arsene mentions)? Because I had to will be his answer, because we had to. And that courage, humility and intellect (that threesome so often in tandem) will become obvious to all.

And players who themselves knew only part will want to say, “I was part of the amazing story”. And some will because they truly were, and some won’t or will say something forgettable because they deserted, ducked or deflated – in the selfish way of foolish young footballers and their agents – Arsenal’s great quest for something called legacy.

The legacy will outlive every other memory, failure or victory on the field or trophy quests. It will outlive us all, and all the players too. In time it will simply be a chapter in the entire history of football in England, and so will outgrow even Arsenal itself.”

No excuses. We lost the match in the 1st 15 minutes with the midfielders giving away balls in our half which were ruthlessly punished. Wenger, of course, is accountable for team selection. I wonder how many of the post-game tactical experts will say playing Ox in the middle was a mistake.

It’s done for me, not worried about what will be said. I am more worried about what needs to be done to stop this from happening so frequently. We are an excellent defensive team. We are simply too good for this and we all know it.

Shotta, Mourinho, just explained his tactics. He said he set up his team to make us give the ball away and make us uncomfortable in the middle early on. It just so happens, all the bad defeats this season were caused by poor concentration in the first ten or fifteen minutes.

AW has it in him to motivate the side to two famous victories in the next two games,, but the players have to show up, and then there is the FA Cup. Top 4 and an FA Cup would be a great start to the next phase for this squad.

Meanwhile if someone big in BT Sports could quietly dispose of Steve Mcmemininini as well as Michael OweninininI I would be very grateful.

Sadly my worst fears came to pass. I had a concern that the pressure of the 1,000th game might be inhibiting, but never dreamed it could be this bad. It will be tough with so many of our top players missing, but they have no choice but to forget this and move on to the next one.

Let me put that point a little better: “I wonder how many of the post-game tactical experts were saying pre-game that playing Ox in the middle wouldn’t work.”
He was all the rave after Stoke, Bayern and Spurs. But we have seen even better and more experienced midfielders fail to adapt to the high press at City and Liverpool. In retrospect this was a step too far for Ox but he will learn from defeat, just like Ramsey and countless others.
I am sure tweaking our midfield will keep Wenger sleepless for the rest of the season especially with so many big players like Ozil, Ramsey and Wilshere out injured.

Well that is out of the way and a disappointing performance all round – I could come up with a list of acts and omissions on our part as well as some very capable Chelsea finishing but what is the point ?

Swansea up next, regroup, focus and go again – the three points available on Tuesday every bit as valuable as those lost today

ever since we stopped playing with quick defenders and decided to drop deeper and went for the calm reader type we should recognise that teasm wanting t beat us will obviously put pressure on the midfielder(s) in front of the cb whom the cbs need to play the first pass. therefore you either need a motor-midfielder there who will be quick in unmarking under pressure and receivving/turning and passing on and/or if you dont have that then a strong type who will sustain the pressure and repel it. today we had neither. if the tenacious type was meant to be ox and arteta the strong then its tough to work, arteta has not been the same as last season and ox has come from injury learning a different role. last year arteta and ramsey provided this balancing act in mid which set up the platform for theo santi poldi and giroud to contribute with 10g 10a almost each ( some fo them even more maybe).. this year, whether it has been arteta’s early back/waist injury or whether a tactical miscalculation i dont know. i would surely trust this seasons anchoring duties to flamini and have artea and rosicky in front of him for playmaking (since ramsey and jack are missing) , especially against important teams in big games. surely we can experiment with ox and cazorla, but not in such games. perhaps it is us who should had the idea of putting pressure on their back four between their midifeld line and opt for different approach and play all three fast attacking players ox santi and poldi, and abandon the targetman routine, sicne we both dont have the satelite (ozil) to operate around giroud nor the midfield runners to break into space past him.

Oh I agree with you Paul. Question is why confidence is so easily shattered. And I also think Pass is right – the pressure got to them today. Two goals down, you imagine minds start whirling, “oh my god we can’t lose this”, and, well, it’s downhill from there. Then the whole Alex handball thing…and it was over.

This is how I feel. I am playing this song and screaming at the top of my lungs. My bro came and smacked me one hard ’cause I was causing too much ruckus. But forgive the copy and paste of the great, late Bob’s lyrics:

Tweet
Bob Marley – I Shot The Sheriff Lyrics
I shot the sheriff
But I didn’t shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh!
I shot the sheriff
But I didn’t shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.)
Yeah! All around in my home town,
They’re tryin’ to track me down;
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For the killing of a deputy,
For the life of a deputy.
But I say:

I am awaiting moderation. Maybe its the copy and paste. I just wanted to say, boys and gals, if you are depressed by the shitty match, gallant but naive whatever, who cares – there is Youtube and Boy Marley. I shot that damn sheriff, I shot him, I shot him good!!

True Alabama, I am sure it is a lot of pressure to not lose a game of this nature. Not time to feel sorry for themselves that’s for sure. This is the final leg, we have to lick our wounds and keep it going.

Hunter @ 3:25pm. It is obvious that initially Arsene set up to attack from midfield and put pressure on their back four. He wanted a win. But as in most big games so far this season, our midfield has been susceptible to the high press. All those games whether it be Ozil, Cazorla, Arteta and of course Chamberlain today, too frequently we lose the ball to teams ready and willing to punish us on the break. Easy to blame Wenger tactically but I wonder if it is a matter of personnel.

Right, Paul. People laugh at England and the sports psychologist thing, but I think the team need one. They have to figure out collectively how not to panic. If one player has a bad game they can cope, but if everyone comes unglued – well, we’ve just seen what happens. Damn this 1000th game thing…

Shotta @ 3:58,
I think its the personnel buts its not an issue that can be properly addressed until the summer. I’ll save my opinions till then.
Kallstrom might have a role to play in our next 3 matches.

So once the red card error is corrected, is the Ox set to miss 3 games or 1?

you cant put the required pressure to break chelseas mid with arteta and ox, i think, too light and/or maybe not as quick as with a ramsey in there. perhaps its better to play a solid holding game in mid hence the three mature flamini arteta rosicky tomaas the most adventurous of the two who can put pressure in the middle and play santi and ox on the flanks for added pressure who can dribble and hussle and keep ivanovic and azpi back. matic and luiz are no playmakers thus letting them have the ball and ocntain them with flamini arteta rosicky shouldnt be as difficult, kos takes oscar , sagna haxard gibbs shurle and per watches eto and were cool, instead we were smashing our heads against the wall with ox and santi trying to break through, losing it and then noone was there to guard kos and per, in other words the mid should have been more static today and its the front three/four who should be concentrated on pressuring, not the midfielders. and of course i expect players like arteta to understand that but if they were given different orders then its just a miscalculation.

we gave too many balls away in dangerous positions. i really dont think its an issue of high pressing. just carelessness.

but how can a referee give a decision just because the fans say so. the fact that mariner sent off the wrong player proved he didnt see the foul. so what happen to mariner? i suggest he should retire immediately like graham pull did after his mistake at the world cup.

i also suggest there should be a replay from the point gibbs was sent off wrongly if justice is to be served.

of that there is no doubt sav, but something has to happen. fans are stupid and the last thing you want right now is fed up supporters booing the manager. the manager deserves a lot better than a golden cannon from the upper hierarchy and they need to calm fans down and the only way to do it is sadly to be a bit aggressive should fan unrest become untenable. they need to come out and tell the fans how it is in order to avoid unpleasant momments. this is what we are and this is what we do, we will never be a rich mans toys whoever is on board is welcome to come and watch/support. wheover doenst like it can fuck off and stay home and others can take your place. also owners need to back manager again in terms of money this summer and avoid fucks ups ala suarez.

aman, ox will not miss any game. it was a simple case of mistaken identity. which arsenal is allowed to apeal against. the simple truth is that the referee didnt see it so he can not take action against ox based on video evidence as that will clearly be against the rule.
if video evidence is to be used, it should also be used to see if the ball was actually a goal scoring opportunity. and if it is not, then it should have been a yellow card.

Hunter @ 4:18pm – The problem with playing Flamini as the deeper of the three is that he is not as technical as Arteta and therefore even more susceptible to the press or we simply play deep and counter attack. The latter was the scenario at Bayern. The boos might well have miscalculated but it is too easy to come to that conclusion post game.

i dont know why poeple have any fear playing flamini in the holding role. he is the best in the team in that position in my opinion. but my fear is his rash challenges just like kos in the box.
that said, i dont believe playing him instead of arteta today would have made much difference. we gave the ball away against a team designed to profit from such gifts. i thought we already found a way to play arteta and flamini together. that is play arteta in the box to box role while flamini plays the holding role.

but matic and luiz and oscar did not press us….we were the ones pressng in front of them with arteta ox and santi, theyd win the ball, easily, and break, and theres not much oscar can do to flamini because flamini is old school and will own the boy psychologically unlike arteta who doesnt think in such neanderthal ways, what i was suggesting was us being more static potition-wise and let the chelsea midifielders have the ball and contain them, when you win it you have technical arteta and rosicky to play it forward to the faster santi and ox. we had santi ox pusing through the middle with arteta following them close by and rosi was wide right, when we lost it we had 6 players forward and 2 at the back backpeddling with full backs trying to save the last pieces…